Synopses & Reviews
TalentIn today's global business environment, it is more and more difficult to gain a competitive edge, but it is not impossible. Talent, potentially the most powerful source of competitive advantage, is available. But how should organizations be designed to make talent their key source of competitive advantage?
In this follow-up to his best-selling book Built to Change, Ed Lawler shows how organizations can combine the right organization design, management practices, and talent to gain a critical performance edge. Talent offers a blueprint that succinctly maps out the best approach to organizing and leading a talent-focused organization. The organizational features needed to create a talent-focused organization are identified and their operation explained. Special attention is paid to:
Lawler shows how organizations can determine which talent-focused management approach best fits their business: a high-involvement approach that has long-term employment relationships and a high level of employee involvement in decision making, or a global-competitor approach where there is a constant influx of new talent and technological expertise. Drawing from his expertise and providing insights into today's most innovative companies, Lawler describes the human capital strategy and organization design for each approach. He provides the foundation and tools for creating effective and innovative organizations.
A timely, much-needed resource, Talent defines how companies can be managed for competitive advantage today.
Review
Voted "Best Book of 2008" in Human Capital,
Strategy + Business"Some boards do have committees on human resources, but they typically focus on CEO and executive compensation and perhaps succession planning at the executive level, not on the overall talent strategy and effectiveness of the organization...What is needed is a human capital committee that addresses succession planning for senior management positions and the evaluation of the CEO and the top management team."--as excerpted from TALENT by Edward E. Lawler, III in
Directors & Boards"There was one chapter in Talent that I found to be really new and interesting. That was the chapter about corporate boards and talent management. Often when we think about boards of directors we think about a room of former CEOs and finance guys who go over number and compliance issues. That's pretty much what Lawler has found in his research as well. But if a company wants to really use its people as its competitive advantage, then these boards of directors have to be informed on the talent management issues within the company. Not only that, but at least some of these board members should have some HR expertise--which according to Lawler's research, is a pretty rare occurrence."--Workforce Management
"In his book--for those who wish to proceed with HC-centricity--Lawler describes the steps involved in building talent-based organizations. Through generous case studies of companies from Whole Foods to BMW to Siebel Systems, Lawler outlines ways of achieving HC-centric management through approaches he labels 'high involvement' or 'global competitor."--HR Magazine
"Lawler presents visionary information and examples that any organization can take pieces from. As a whole, Talent is a thought-provoking read. More importantly it is a practical book. Anytime the reader starts to say to him or herself "yeah right, that would never work" Lawler responds with an acknowledgment of the practicalities and support for optimism. If Lawler’s prediction that more companies will turn towards HC-centric organizations then it would be wise to read this book now." --The Employment File, 6/10/2008
"A lot of people know a little about Talent. Ed Lawler knows a lot! In fact, he may know more about this topic than anyone I know!"
"There is no better person to provide advice on Talent than Ed Lawler!"
"The world’s authority on HR systems – he shows you how to change the people equation in your company!" – Marshall Goldsmith is the New York Times best selling author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There – the Harold Longman Award Best Business Book of 2007.
Synopsis
The source of competitive advantage has shifted in many organizations from reliability to innovation and flexibility. But what does it take for an organization that innovates to then manage effectively? In this follow-up to Built to Change, Ed Lawler argues that it is a combination of the right structure and the right people. First, organizations must decide what structure they are: are you a high-involvement organization that has products and services that require a high level of coordination and cooperation among employees? Or do you have a more global competitor structure in which you are constantly bringing in new talent and technological expertise? Are you a mixture of both? Lawler outlines the unique human capital strategy for each approach, shows what it looks like in action, and provides the foundation and tools for creating competitive and innovative organizations.
Synopsis
Praise for Talent"Ed Lawler, a pioneer in unveiling the importance of human capital, shows how top-performing companies make people their competitive advantage and challenges us all to take current best practices to the next level."
—Bob Eckert, chairman and CEO, Mattel, Inc.
"Ed Lawler's operative phrase, 'obsessed with talent,' is the cornerstone of this book. When competitive improvement demands differentiation via human endeavors in technology, innovation, and service, individuals and collective talent deliver results. There is art and science to having the right talent at the right time for any and all circumstances. Ed has articulated the mindset, methodologies, and practices that ensure success."
—John D. Hofmeister, president, Shell Oil Company
"Lawler's Talent is a must-read. It shows how to develop leaders at all levels who are smarter and more competitive every day. He provides us with a practical guide to building human-centric, winning organizations."
—Noel Tichy, coauthor (with Warren Bennis) of Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls, and professor, Ross School of Business, the University of Michigan
"Talent does a terrific job of examining the fundamental question about human capital–centric organizations: Do highly talented people build highly effective organizations, or vice versa? This book shows us why the answer is 'yes' and 'yes'!"
—Ian Ziskin, corporate vice president, and chief human resource and administrative officer, Northrupp Grumman Corporation
Synopsis
This collection examines how useful research can be achieved and argues that in order to keep organizational research relevant to theory and practice, the approach must deviate from the orthodoxy of positivistic, “pure” research approaches. The contributing authors were selected for their demonstrated ability to conduct useful research, and they bring their unique professional experience to their chapters by describing the choices they make and the tactics they employ.
The core message of this book is that in order to conduct research that is useful, researchers must learn from practice and intentionally position their work so that it finds a pathway to practice. While each chapter can stand alone, the book is crafted to provide multiple complementary perspectives on the topic of useful research. It does an outstanding job of describing what it takes to bridge the gap between theory and practice. It goes beyond advocacy, theoretical debate, and restatements of the problem to focus on the types of research methods that produce useful research. Topics include crafting research programs to yield useful knowledge, academic careers that yield useful knowledge, pathways to practice, institutional agents such as MBA programs and journals.
About the Author
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Dr. Susan Mohrman is widely known for her research in the area of organization design and effectiveness and on large-scale change. She has been actively involved as a researcher and/or consultant to a wide variety of organizations instituting innovative management systems and organizational designs. She has worked with a variety of organizations including Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, Pfizer, and General Mills. She is the author and co-author of 13 books.
Edward Lawler is a Distinguished Professor of Business at the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and founder and director of the University\'s Center for Effective Organizations (CEO). Lawler is a consultant to the majority of the Fortune 100. BusinessWeek has proclaimed him one of the top six gurus in the field of management. National television appearances include The Today Show, CNN, MSNBC, and CNBC. Lawler is the author and co-author of 43 books. '
Table of Contents
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Section I: Introduction and Framing 1)Introduction: The Value Stream of Organization and Management Science: Edward Lawler & Sue Mohrman (CEO, USC)
Section II: Exemplars
2)Rob Cross, University of Virginia
3)Amy Edmundson, Harvard University
4)CEO exemplars—Sue and Monty Mohrman (CEO)
Commentary: Richard Hackman, Harvard University
Section III: Bodies of Work that have Influenced Practice
5) Ed Lawler, CEO and Phil Mirvis, Boston College
6) C.K. Prahalad, University of Michigan
7) Mike Beer, Harvard University, emeritus & TruePoint
Commentary: Thoughts on an Academic Career with Impact – Jim O’Toole, University of Denver
Section IV: Pathways: Research to Practice
8) Books with Impact – George Benson, University of Texas, Arlington
9) Collaborations with Consulting Firms/The Role of Consulting Firms – Ruth Wageman
10) Evidence Based Management/Sticky Concepts—Denise Rousseau, Carnegie Mellon
11) Classroom—impact of education—conditions for application, etc. –Paula Jarzabkowski
12) Professional Associations—Workshops and Tools -- Wayne Cascio
13) Organization Development—Chris Worley and Tom Cummings
Practitioner Perspective: Pathways with Impact—Roundtable of Practitioners
Commentary: Gary Latham
Section V: Barriers and Enablers
14) Business Schools/MBA programs – Chris Worley, CEO, and Tom Cummings, USC
15) Journals—Theresa Welbourne, CEO
Roundtable Discussion of Deans, Department Heads and Journal Editors in Attendance
Commentary: Sarah Rynes
Section VI: Putting it All Together – Section Framing by Lawler and Mohrman
16) Reflective Chapter – Andy Van De Ven, University of Minnesota
17) Mohrman and Lawler –Learnings from the Conference and Book: What Academic Research Would Look Like if We Took Seriously a Mandate to do Research that Impacts Theory and Practice.
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